Fallout
by ShellSueD
Summary: Stephanie makes a last minute decision that will probably change her whole life. This is that story and the aftermath told entirely from Ranger's POV.
1. Chapter 1

Only JE can claim the rights to any recognizable characters – I'm only playing for fun

**_**Mild Smut Warning**_**

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_**Prologue**_

I wasn't sure what I was waiting for. The view hadn't changed in the thirty minutes I'd been watching the building, but I couldn't seem to make myself get out of the car.

My phone rang and I actually jerked at the sound. Ranger Manoso - badass mercenary - startled by a ringing phone. I checked the display and greeted Tank curtly, mildly irritated by the interruption of my staring at an unmovable object. _Jesus_, I needed to get a grip.

"What?"

"Everything okay?" He asked, surprising me. I figured he was calling with a report on some intel I'd asked for, not a question about my status.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the control room just called and said you've been sitting across the street from Tina's bridal shop for the past half an hour. They thought that was odd since you're supposed to be boarding a plane at the Newark airport in fifteen minutes."

_Fuck. _I glanced at my watch. Even if I left right now I would probably miss my flight. "Turn off the GPS on my car," I demanded. Perfect. _Just perfect._ I didn't even want to think about how fast this would spread through the building. I hoped Lester wasn't on monitor duty today.

More than one beat passed before Tank responded. "No problem. Should I reschedule your flight?"

I looked at my watch again. I would never make it. I needed to be in Miami for a meeting with my business partners so I really _should_ have him get me on another flight. I cut my eyes to the building across the street and something painful twisted in my gut. "No. I'll take care of it later."

I listened as Tank inhaled and exhaled slowly and then he spoke softly – almost gently in my ear. "You missed your chance. Let her get on with her life."

"Call Silvo," I said, ignoring him. "Have him change the meeting to next Thursday." I disconnected and dropped my phone onto the seat beside me.

Tank was wrong. It wasn't too late. Not yet. But this would be my last chance. I opened the door and slid out from behind the wheel. After I locked the car, I took a deep breath and headed for the building. The thought that this was a bad idea and that I was an asshole for even thinking about it tried to force its way into my brain but I squashed it down into the box it had been in, locked it up and threw away the key.

A bell above the door jingled when I pushed it open and Tina herself looked up from the mannequin she was dressing when I stepped into the shop. She was short and round with long black hair that was teased to within an inch of its life. Her ruby red painted lips smiled at me as her brown eyes raked over my entire frame. She reminded me of Connie.

"What can I do for you, _gorgeous_?" She asked huskily and I was just about to answer when Mary Lou and Lula appeared, each holding a hideous pink dress and talking about the color.

"They're supposed to be ugly," I heard Mary Lou say as they moved further onto the main floor. "That way the bride looks even better. And it worked – she looks amazing!"

Lula opened her mouth for what I knew would be a very graphi_c_ response but must have seen me out of the corner of her eye because her head suddenly whipped around making the beads in her hair dance and clack together loudly.

"Well,_ shit_," she said, locking eyes with me. I nodded and reached into my pocket for my clip of money.

"Take Mary Lou and Tina to lunch," I said, my eyes never leaving hers. I peeled off several bills and handed them to her. Mary Lou made a small strangled sound when Lula took the cash from me without a word. I slid my eyes to her and she looked like she was scared I might shoot her.

"But what about my shop?" I heard Tina ask from beside me.

"I'll make sure it's secured before I leave," I assured her, looking at Lula again. She nodded once and took Mary Lou by the arm.

"Let's go," she said softly and tugged her toward the door, Tina following in their wake. I could feel curious and concerned eyes on my back but I didn't turn around until I heard the bell and then their footsteps on the concrete walkway outside. I locked the door and flipped the open sign in the window to closed.

I silently stalked across the shop toward the dressing rooms and toward the woman I knew was behind one of the doors, getting the final fitting done on the dress she would wear when she married another man.

She was in the middle of the three rooms and I paused outside the door and dropped my forehead onto the smooth surface. This was a dick move, I knew that. The wedding was just over a week away and I shouldn't be anywhere near here – but I wasn't going to leave. I _knew_ I wasn't going to leave.

I closed my eyes and was assaulted by images of her walking down the aisle to the waiting arms of the man who wasn't me. I barely bit back a lament of dismay before I ripped open the dressing room door and stepped inside, nearly slamming it behind me.

She was facing a full length mirror and her head was bent, inspecting something in the lace on the bodice of her dress but it came up at the sound of my entrance. Our eyes met in the mirror and my breath caught in my throat. Mary Lou was right, she looked amazing.

We stood frozen in place, watching each other and not speaking until Stephanie's eyes abruptly filled with tears and she whispered out a plea I could not ignore. "Give me a reason. _Please_ give me a reason."

Blood rushed in my ears as my heart lurched underneath my shirt. I crossed the short distance between us and grabbed at the back of her dress. "Take it off," I growled barely recognizing my own voice. In lieu of a zipper, there were a million tiny buttons holding the dress together and my fingers couldn't move fast enough so half way through I ripped the back open, roughly yanking the material away from her body. Buttons popped and flew in every direction. "Get it _off_!" I said more forcefully, not able to stand seeing her in the dress for another second.

She clawed savagely at the sleeves and pulled them off her arms. The material pooled at her feet and she stepped out of it entirely before kicking it away. We were both breathing heavy as she stood before me in a white lace bra and matching panties.

"All of it," I commanded, also not wanting to see her in lingerie I knew was for the benefit of someone else. The bra disappeared and she slid the panties down her legs and pitched them somewhere near the dress with her foot.

I launched myself at her naked form and our lips crashed together as my arms came around her back. It had been too long since I'd touched her, since I'd _tasted_ her and I couldn't get enough. My tongue plundered her mouth over and over and her delicate moans of pleasure shot potent ripples of electricity through every nerve ending of my body.

"Ranger_…please,"_ she murmured when I finally broke away so we could get some much needed air.

"I know," I said and jerked my pants down to release my raging erection. I felt like I would die if I didn't get inside her. I lifted her by the back of her thighs and she wrapped her legs around my waist. I slid into her with one sure stroke as I pressed her back against the wall of the small dressing room.

I was fully sheathed inside her, my balls tight against her skin but I didn't move. I had nearly come at that initial thrust so I stayed still, resting my forehead against hers with my eyes closed and my breath expelling from my lungs in short bursts. "Don't marry him, Stephanie."

Her breath hitched and then she implored, "Why, Ranger? _Tell me why_."

I withdrew from her, sliding almost all the way out and opened my dark eyes to her shining blue ones. "Because, I'm in love with you." I pushed back in slowly and stroked her until we were both lost in the throes of a shattering release.


	2. Chapter 2

_AN: You have overwhelmed me with your fabulous reviews. Made my entire week! Thank you and thank you also for the patience waiting for an update._

_JE owns the rights to all recognizable characters. I'm just messing around in Ranger's head for fun._

_**Chapter 1**_

_**3 months later…**_

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"Are you sure? I can be there in fifteen."

Stephanie was quiet and I found myself holding my breath. I hoped she would change her mind and let me help her today – I was familiar with the skip she was going after and he was unpredictable at best. After two solid months of training at my side, she'd made the decision that today was the day she wanted to go it alone. I wasn't happy, but I didn't fight her. I knew she wouldn't let me be with her for every takedown for very much longer.

"Yeah, I'll be okay," she said after a few beats. "Plus, I have Lula here so I have some back up."

I came close to rolling my eyes. Lula's presence almost guaranteed it would turn into a cluster fuck of epic proportions. The two of them together created an inexplicable tornado of mayhem. It actually scared me sometimes.

"Babe, Lula wouldn't be my first choice for viable back up. She shot out the tires of her own car last week."

"Yeah," Steph muttered and I could all but see the grimace on her face at that reminder. "But I made her leave her gun at the office this morning so that won't happen again. At least not today."

"You have _your_ gun, though…right?"

"Oh um -"

"_Stephanie..." _I cut her off with a flash of annoyance I couldn't quite hide.

"I _know,_ but I was out of bullets and I figured it was a waste of handbag space for an unloaded gun."

I bit back a sigh and pinched the bridge of my nose in sheer frustration. We'd spent at least an hour at the range once a day for the past month and she was still uncomfortable carrying her gun. I didn't know what else to do to convince her she needed it with her on every job. Loaded or not, a gun can be a very intimidating motivator for compliance.

"It's hard to argue with that kind of logic but remember when we had the talk about you being prepared and how I worry a little less when I know you have all the tools available to protect yourself?"

"I remember you _trying_ to talk to me but you were naked at the time so I'm not sure everything you said got through."

A smile tugged at my lips. She did have a hard time concentrating when we were naked and horizontal. "Right," I said. "I guess we'll have to have that conversation again. I'll be fully clothed next time."

"That's a threat, isn't it?" Stephanie had a hard time talking about serious issues. It made her nervous and uncomfortable, but she was working on it and I was proud of her.

"It's a promise, Babe. We'll talk tonight at dinner – I'm picking you up at seven." I disconnected and smiled again, imagining her scowling at the phone. It annoyed her when I hung up without saying good-bye. I clipped my phone back on my belt and headed down the hall to my office, making a quick stop in the control room.

Woody and Vince were on the monitors when I stepped inside. They both briefly turned at my entrance but went right back to the screens. "Keep close tabs on Steph's trackers today," I commanded. "And let me know immediately if any of the PD is dispatched near or to her location."

"Roger that," they answered in unison and I left them to their charge.

An hour later I was elbow deep in paperwork when Tank knocked on my door. "Enter," I barked as if I was annoyed at the intrusion but truthfully I was grateful for the distraction. I fucking hate paperwork.

Tank's massive frame filled my doorway, temporarily blocking the light from the hall before he moved fully inside my office and wedged himself into one of the chairs in front of my desk.

"Vinnie called again," he said without preamble and brushed at a cat hair stuck to his Rangeman shirt. I leaned back in my chair and waited for the rest. "He still has his dick in a twist about you trying to poach Steph away from him."

"Vinnie's dick is in a twist because he keeps sticking it into barnyard animals. I'm actually surprised the thing hasn't fallen off. And all he does is complain about her ineptitude; you'd think he be happy to be free of her."

"Except… she keeps turning down your offer," Tank pointed out. "With all the training you've been giving her, she's getting better at her job and now Vinnie's afraid she'll quit to work here."

"Except she keeps turning down my offer," I echoed back and Tank grinned.

"Yeah, why do you think that is?"

"Steph's brain is a mystery, even to me."

"Right," Tank said. "How is she doing, by the way? Haven't seen much of her since…"He trailed off and almost grimaced before his blank face fell into place. "Sorry."

I shook my head and waved off his apology. We hadn't really talked about Stephanie since she called off her wedding to Morelli. I'm actually surprised he hasn't brought it up before now. I know he - and probably all the guys - expected that we'd be living together or we'd at least be an "official" couple by now – but things hadn't quite worked out like anyone expected after the fact – especially me.

"She's hanging in there. The gossip hounds have been pretty hard on her." This was a gross understatement. They'd been diabolically ruthless in their character assassination. Of course none of them ever had the balls to say anything directly to her face so everywhere she went there was a lot of pointing and whispering behind hands, just loud enough for her to hear every word.

"Stephanie is tough," Tank said. "She'll get through it. And eventually the busy bodies will move on to some other scandal."

"Yeah," I agreed absently. I hoped he was right, but there wasn't any sign of it. The burg had remained scandal free for the past three months so Stephanie's cancelled wedding a week before the big event remained the prime gossip of the town. "I…"

Vince came tearing into my office at that moment, interrupting our conversation. "Steph's phone went off line and the fire department has just been dispatched to her location."

I was up and out the door before Vince even finished his sentence. I took the stairs down to the garage two at a time and felt Tank right on my heels. The door opened before I got to it and Lester barely dodged out of the way as Tank and I came through it at a run. I chose the Turbo for speed and Tank silently slid into the passenger seat.

"You won't do her any good if you kill us before we get there," he murmured when the speedometer pasted one hundred. I didn't respond and I didn't look at him as I turned onto Hart avenue, barely slowing down. I saw Lula's Firebird parked up the street in front of a house that was completely engulfed in flames.

Two fire engines and an ambulance were making their way down the street when Tank and I got out of the car and approached a horrified Lula who was standing on the front lawn with one leopard print high heeled shoe planted firmly on the back of the handcuffed skip on the ground and staring at the burning house with her mouth hanging open in shock.

"Where is she?" I barked and Lula jumped at my voice.

"I don't – I don't know," she stuttered out, turning to look at us. "I was here covering the front while she went in through the kitchen in the back. This skinny shithead came flying out the door and I stunned his ass right before the damn house exploded."

I was already running before she finished explaining.

"Ranger!" I heard Tank yelling to me but kept moving. "Let the fire department go in!"

A window above me blew out as I ran by, showering me with glass. I ran faster and peeled around the corner, skidding to a stop at the back door. A huge, heavy hand came down on my shoulder before I reached for the handle. "At least put this on," Tank said draping a flame retardant jacket over my shoulders. I didn't think about how he must have taken it off a fire truck or even a fireman before I slid my arms through the sleeves. "Now stand back," he growled, pushing me off to the side before he slammed his massive boot to the lock of the back door.

I was encouraged that no smoke came billowing out when it swung open but as I stepped in I could see the kitchen cabinets had started to burn. "Sir! Don't go in there!" I heard someone call and knew the fire department was right behind me. I pulled the neck of my shirt up over my nose and mouth and scanned the room.

My heart twisted violently beneath my ribs when I saw her.

She was handcuffed to the handle of the refrigerator door but had opened it and tried to shield herself behind it. She was unconscious, lying half inside the box with her arm dangling at an odd angle from the cuffs. It looked like she probably broke her wrist trying to get out of the binding metal.

I had my key out and the cuffs unlocked in a second. I scooped her up into my arms and headed to the door.

"Let me take her and you get out of here," a random fireman tried to command me as I got to the threshold. I stopped short of punching him in the throat but only because I had Stephanie in my arms. I got her outside and ignored Tank's muttered _"Jesus"_ as I ran with her directly to the waiting ambulance.

The EMT's saw me coming and worked fast to get the stretcher out of the back of their rig. I laid her on the gurney when it hit the ground and answered the rapid fire questions they threw at me while I took out my phone and sent Bobby a text, asking him to meet us at the hospital. I was sure these guys knew what they were doing but I wouldn't be satisfied until Bobby told me what they were saying was accurate.

I stripped off the fire coat while they gave me a rundown and dropped it onto the ground. "Her wrist is broken, but her lungs sound clear and her pulse is strong so she probably didn't take in very much smoke. There is a bump on the back of her head; she most likely has a concussion." They strapped an oxygen mask over her face and lifted the bed into the ambulance.

Tank materialized at my side and I silently handed him my keys. There was no way I wasn't riding with her to the hospital. "Morelli just pulled up," he said in a low, quiet voice right into my ear. Stephanie came to right then as if she'd heard what he said. She began thrashing on the gurney and one of the EMT's swore. I locked eyes with Tank for a short second and then hopped into the back of the ambulance, pulling the doors shut behind me.

The men were trying unsuccessfully to restrain her and turned to me in unison when I barked out an order. "Back off! She doesn't need to be restrained. She just needs me." I unceremoniously pushed her startled helper out of the way and knelt beside her. When I lay my hand on her uninjured left arm, she stilled immediately under my touch, turning her head to face me.

"Everything is fine, Babe," I assured her and pressed my lips to her temple. She nodded and told me with her teary blue eyes that she did not want to go to the hospital. Stephanie hated the hospital. I smiled at her and shook my head. "Not negotiable. You need your wrist set." The ambulance jerked away from the curb and took off down the street.

Her eyes closed in resignation and the unshed tears fell from the corners in slow trickles down her cheeks. I held her hand and we rode the rest of the way in silence.

I thanked the EMT's for their assistance when we arrived and for letting me handle her. Bobby appeared as they were wheeling her inside the hospital doors.

"What happened?" He queried as we followed the gurney inside.

"Not really sure. Can you find out her status? They say she'll be fine but…"

"I'm on it," he said, cutting me off. I watched him disappear into the bowels of the hospital. Bobby was one credit shy of his nursing degree and had done his rotations at this hospital. He could go places and get information that I would have to use a great deal of intimidation and probably force to acquire so I left him to it and went to take care of the admitting paperwork.

Tank arrived just as Bobby came out into the waiting area where I'd been directed to stay until someone came to talk to me.

"She's good," he told both of us. "Broken wrist, mild concussion, no burns and no smoke inhalation. They're setting her wrist now. She was asking for you - Cleona said she'd come get us when we can get back there to see her."

I didn't miss the small smile he couldn't seem to hide at the mention of Cleona's name. She was a nurse I was fairly certain he'd been exclusively dating for the last few months. "Thanks, Bobby."

He nodded and gave me a fist bump before we settled into the hard, plastic waiting room chairs.

"I called her parents," Tank mentioned casually as we sat. "They're on their way."

Bobby and I turned our heads sharply at his confession. "Her Mother?" I asked quietly?

Tank shrugged, his expression neutral. Stephanie and her Mother hadn't spoken since the called off wedding and I didn't think she'd appreciate seeing her now. The last thing she needed was another lecture about her dangerous job.

"They're her parents; they had a right to know." Tank defended his choice needlessly. It was better they heard the real story and not a twisted version undoubtedly making its way through the burg. Phones were probably already ringing off the hook.

"You're right," I said. "And thanks for calling them. I'll handle Helen, if necessary." I squeezed his shoulder briefly in silent gratitude. Tank always had my back and he always did the right thing, especially when I couldn't. "You two can take off – no need for all of us to be here," I offered and Tank shook his head.

"Yes there is," he said and Bobby and I turned to look at him again. "I tried to persuade him it wasn't in his best interest, but I'm sure Morelli will be here any second."

"Shit," Bobby muttered and I had to agree. Tank was right. They both should be here. Someone would need to keep me from killing the cop if he tried to get anywhere near her.

A striking woman with dark crimson hair and impossibly green eyes poked her head in the waiting room and grinned at Bobby. Her teeth were straight and perfect, her skin a creamy shade of alabaster and the smile lit up her entire face. This must be Cleona. She strode over to us on crazy long legs and I could see why Bobby appeared to be smitten with her.

After a not so subtle wink and a brief touch to Bobby's arm, she held out her hand to me. "You must be Ranger. I'm Cleona Bobzien and I'll be the one sneaking you back to see Stephanie."

I couldn't help but smile and I liked her immediately. I would have to grill Bobby later on her background. I shook her hand and her palm was cool and dry, her grip firm. "Appreciate it," I said and she showed me her perfect teeth again.

"I can only get one of you back there and we'll have to move fast." She gestured for me to follow her through the swinging doors.

"We'll hold tight here and try and head off Morelli," Tank said to my retreating back and I turned and gave him a quick nod of thanks as I followed Bobby's woman into a brightly lit corridor.

"Only family is allowed back into this area," Cleona said briskly as we walked, her vocal cadence keeping time with our hurried steps. "I suggested we list you as her fiancé so you could have free reign but Bobby said that might not be the best plan."

I frowned and shook my head imaging how fast the rumor of Stephanie being engaged so quickly after jilting Trenton's beloved cop at the altar would spread. "Yeah, that wouldn't be optimal."

"Hmmm," she murmured and looked like she wanted to ask more but thankfully kept her mouth shut. "They had to sedate her to set her wrist so she might be a little loopy." We turned a corner that opened up into a room filled with hospital beds separated only by curtains. Nearly all of them were empty except two. Cleona pulled back the curtain of a hidden bed and revealed Steph.

She was stretched out fully, her head resting on the pillow with her dark curls spilling out across the stark white sheets. Her wrist was already casted with plaster and her eyes were closed but her breathing was shallow so I knew she wasn't asleep.

"I can guarantee you ten minutes, but then you're on your own," Cleona said from beside me and I turned to look at her. "I'm gonna owe you big for this."

She flashed me a quick grin and then said, "Don't worry, I already have something in mind." She disappeared and left me alone with Stephanie.

I moved to the head of the bed and brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. Her eyes opened at my touch and she gave me a small smile.

"You're so pretty," she slurred and I wondered just how heavily she was sedated.

"Thanks, Babe. You're not so bad yourself."

"I broke my wrist," she said and held up her cast for my inspection.

"I know. Do you remember what happened?"

Her eyes glazed over with moisture and the smile that had been on her lips faded into a frown. "Yeah. I remember." Her voice sounded a lot steadier and I covered her left hand with mine and laced my fingers through hers.

"Want to tell me?"

She turned her head to face me fully and a single tear escaped and raced down her face. "You got me out of there, didn't you?"

I swallowed, remembering the fear that had ripped through me at the sight of her lying half in that fridge.

"Yeah. I did."

"When he got the cuff on me I tried to call you but he saw and took my phone, smashed it with his boots. The next thing I knew there was an explosion and everything was on fire….I should have had my gun."

She turned away from me, and I knew she was ashamed and embarrassed and probably thought I would lecture her about it but as I keep telling her, I'm not Joe, or her Mother. She's a big girl and she made a decision. I was certain she would choose a different option next time.

I used my finger to bring her beautiful face back to mine. "I'm thinking you won't make that mistake again so let it go."

Her eyes searched mine for a long moment and I guess she finally found what she was looking for because she softly said the words I didn't think I would ever hear. "I love you, Ranger."

My eyes closed briefly and I slowly let out a breath. I knew, _of course_ I knew but she'd never been able to say it before now.

"I know," I said and leaned down to brush my lips lightly over hers. She groaned in protest when I pulled away so I went in for another taste. Her tongue darted out and when it touched mine I felt my cock twitch beneath my cargos. It didn't matter the circumstances, Stephanie always made me inexplicably hard.

She deepened the kiss, fully exploring every inch of my mouth and I had to force myself pull away from her. "Easy there, tiger. I don't think you're in any condition for me to get you naked right now so knock it off."

A sly smile graced her lips and her eyes dropped to the bulge she'd created behind my zipper. "Later Babe, I promise. I'm gonna go see what I can do about busting you out of here." I squeezed her hand and headed out, knowing the ten minutes we'd been allotted were gone. I turned back when she called my name.

"Thanks for coming for me today."

"I'll always come for you, Steph. In more ways than one." I gave her a single eyebrow wag and then left her, laughing when I heard her shouted, "Pervert!" I hoped I could get her out before Morelli or her parents made an appearance but a minute later I was severely disappointed. I actually ran right into Joe as I rounded a corner and he jumped back from me with scowl.

"Of course," he muttered sarcastically. He was testy and his hands were clenched tightly into fists at his sides. This wasn't going to go well.

"She doesn't want to see you, Joe." I tried, knowing he wouldn't be that easily dissuaded.

"What kind of shit did you get her involved in this time?" He bit out, ignoring my statement. "You're going to get her killed one of these days and I can only hope I'll be able to throw your ass in jail for it."

"I'm afraid you'll have to get use to disappointment in that regard, officer Morelli."

He shot me a filthy look and tried to move past me. "I want to see her."

I stepped in front of him and put a palm on his solid chest. "Not gonna happen."

"Get your hands off me, asshole."

I saw Tank and Bobby appear behind Joe so hopefully this wouldn't get out of control. I removed my hand and took a step back. "Isn't there a waitress over in Levittown you should be fucking in instead of chasing after a woman who doesn't want you anymore?"

The flash of shock in his eyes was instant but he hid it quickly and dropped his blank cop face into place. He obviously thought he'd hidden that little indiscretion, but there wasn't much I didn't know about Morelli. "This isn't over," he spit out through clenched teeth and turned on his heel, coming face to face with Tank and Bobby.

He dodged around them and I had to get in a final parting shot as walked away.

It _is_ over, Joe. It's been over for a _long_ time." I knew he would get my double meaning and I saw his shoulders tense before he disappeared down the hallway.

Tank gave me a raised eyebrow and Bobby slapped me on the back. "Well, that could have been worse," he said and I nodded. It could have been _much_ worse.

"Her Dad and Grandma just got here," Tank said and I gave him a raised eyebrow back.

"No Helen?"

He shook his head and I breathed a sigh of relief. Steph would at least get out of here without any additional stress.

I went out to talk to Frank and Edna before they were taken back by Cleona to see Steph. Her Dad was cordial and polite and Grandma didn't mention my 'package' once so all in all this was a fairly drama free incident. Another hour went by before she was released and I sent Tank and Bobby off in my Porsche and loaded Stephanie into Bobby's explorer. She dozed off on the ride and I had to shake her awake when I pulled into the garage of my building.

She opened her eyes and groggily looked around. She had asked me to take her home but I couldn't make myself do it so I waited for the objection I knew was coming.

"This isn't my apartment building," she said slowly turning to meet my gaze.

"It could be," I said with a grin. I'd asked her to move in with me more than once but she wasn't ready for that. She wasn't ready for a lot of things.

"_Ranger…"_

I sighed and dropped my head back onto the head rest and closed my eyes. She hadn't stayed overnight with me since the abandoned wedding. She was holding all this guilt over ditching Joe and I think she felt staying with me would be another slap to his already wounded ego. I keep telling her she has nothing to feel guilty about and if anyone is to blame, it's me. If I'd told her a long time ago how I felt, he never would have gotten that ring on her finger.

"When I went into that house today and saw you lying there…I thought you were dead and I almost lost my mind. I need you with me tonight, Steph. I need to know you're here and that you're safe."

She was silent for a full minute and then I felt her palm on my cheek. I leaned into her touch and covered her hand with mine.

"Let's go upstairs," she whispered.

I exited the car before she changed her mind. I wanted to carry her but she insisted on walking so I tugged her along behind me and when we stepped inside the elevator, she wrapped her arms around my waist and held me as tightly as she could all the way to the seventh floor.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Many, many thanks again for the terrific reviews. I have very limited free time right now so I haven't had a chance to respond to each of you individually but please know I have read every one and don't stop because it feeds my muse!**_

_**Mild smut warning...okay maybe a little more than mild...I don't know what it is when I write Ranger's POV – he just takes my brain to naughty places. (I bumped the rating up to M because I can't guarantee this won't happen again)**_

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**Chapter 2**

**6 months later...**

It was early when my eyes snapped open, not even dawn, and as Stephanie thinks being awake at this hour is against the laws of nature, I was mildly surprised to realize it was her tongue tracing a path up the length of my cock that had pulled me from sleep.

But I was _not_ complaining.

I tunneled my hands in her hair and curled them around her ears so she couldn't get away and when the furnace of her mouth fully encased the head and began an inch by inch descent, I think I actually growled like an animal.

I was fairly certain that I wanted to be awakened this way every day for the rest of my life.

_"Jesus,"_ I moaned as I exploded into the back of her throat. I watched her swallow every drop and couldn't stop thinking about how sexy she was - so I told her.

She shimmied up my side and settled on to my chest, resting her head in the crook of my neck. "I bet you'd think any woman was sexy who used their mouth for that particular activity." It was cute how she wouldn't actually say the word blowjob after performing what might be the best one I've ever had.

"_You_ are the only sexy woman I care about, Babe." I wrapped my hands around her middle and flipped her onto her back, covering her naked body with mine. She arched into my touch when I sucked in a nipple and licked it with quick little stokes. It was only fair that I show her what _I_ can do with _my_ mouth too.

"You should think about a new career as an alarm clock," I said as I made my way down her bare skin to the wet and pink Mecca between her thighs. She fisted her hands in my hair when I gave her clit a small bite before plunging my tongue inside.

Her strangled cry once again had my dick resembling granite. I lifted my head, extracting her hands from my hair and took in the sight of her squirming beneath me. She brought her hips up off the mattress, seeking the friction I'd dislodged to look at her. "Of course, after that wake up call, I have no desire to get out of this bed so that probably defeats the purpose." I bent my head and gave her another long suck.

"_Ranger!" _She practically shrieked my name, apparently over the foreplay and completely over listening to me talk. Her face was raw with need, her eyes a deep navy blue of pure lust and it made me not want to hear my own voice anymore either. I moved into position as she pulled her knees up and flexed her fingers into my hips. I kissed her, tangling our tongues together and then I sank balls deep into the blistering wet heat of her core.

Two hours went by before we reluctantly dragged ourselves from each other's arms and from the bed. I made a compelling argument about needing her help washing my back but she wasn't convinced I didn't have an ulterior motive so we showered separately and Ella dropped off a breakfast tray just before Steph came out of the bathroom wearing my robe and nothing else.

"I need to borrow a shirt," she said as she tied the sash around her waist. "Mine seems to have been torn in half...right down the front." The memory of ripping her t-shirt from her body last night was still very fresh in my mind. Sometimes it just takes too much time to get her naked.

I almost asked her for the hundredth time why she didn't keep at least a couple of spare outfits here but since she finally started staying the night on a regular basis I didn't want to press my luck.

"What's mine is yours," I said instead and she slid onto the stool next to me with a grin.

"Oh my God," she whispered reverently as I uncovered the food Ella left for us. "Is that cinnamon roll French toast?"

It's a particular favorite of Steph's so last night I'd asked Ella to make it for this morning. "I believe it is. That stuff will kill you, Babe." I scooped up a forkful of my egg white omelet as she dug into her plate.

"Yes, but I'll die a very, very happy woman."

She did look really happy as she devoured her breakfast and I enjoyed watching her eat every bite. It felt like she was finally getting back to normal – smiling and laughing and giving me shit. This was the Stephanie I fell in love with and the one I wanted to be with for the foreseeable future.

Faster than I thought humanly possible, her plate was clean and she all but licked the syrup off it before slowly setting her fork down and somberly turning to me with a grim expression on her face.

"I know I told you that you're the only one I want to be with - and I'm sorry if this hurts – but I'm leaving you for Ella."

I laughed out loud and then grabbed the lapel of the robe, drawing her closer so I could kiss her.

"What are your plans today - besides leaving me for the maker of French toast?"

Her gaze dropped to her lap. She bit the corner of her bottom lip and got up to put our dishes in the sink. Avoidance – that meant it was either something she knew would make me uncomfortable or it was something she really didn't want to do.

"I have a couple of skips that I couldn't find yesterday. Lula and I are going to do some hunting for them again today." She kept her eyes trained on the sink and began scrubbing the plates. Hmmm…that wouldn't make either of us upset – but I didn't probe. She'd tell me eventually.

"You're taking Happy with you, right?" I'd assigned one of my men to her because her gun hand was out of commission. The cast had been off for a while and she probably didn't need the backup anymore but I'd kept him on her detail anyway – I'll admit, more for my peace of mind than anything else.

She finally looked up from the dishes and smiled at me. "Are you ever going to tell me why you guys gave him the nickname? He's the least happy person I've ever met. Lula has spent hours trying to get him to crack a smile but he doesn't ever let his guard down. Was it for the irony?"

Poor Happy. Hours spent in the company of Lula probably made him walk a little closer to the crazy line he was known to sometimes straddle. Happy could, at times, be described as a loose cannon, but I trusted him explicitly and with his six foot six frame, shaved head and the giant spider tattooed on his face, his intimidation factor was beyond high. I knew none of Steph's FTA's would mess with her if he was hanging around. But she was right – I've known him ten years and I think I might be the only person to have ever seen him smile – and that was only once.

"It's not a nickname," I confessed.

Stephanie raised an eyebrow. "Really? His parents actually named him Happy?"

"Yep. You know how babies usually start crying when they're born? Legend has it that Happy's first sound was a laugh."

"What the hell happened between then and now?"

I knew of course, and it was bad, but it wasn't my story to tell. "You'll have to ask him."

She laughed a little and rolled her eyes. "I knew you were going to say that. Maybe Lula can get it out of him. She's persistent."

"She's _something_ alright. But I doubt Lula could be the one to break him. You, on the other hand, are a different story. Happy likes you."

"How can you tell?"

"How could he not?"

"I _am_ very likable."

"You're more than likable, Babe."

I left the stool and met her at the counter. Reaching around, I set my empty mug of tea in the sink and then slid my arms around her waist from behind. Moving her hair out of the way with my cheek, I kissed her neck and nipped at the skin right below her ear. That's one of the places that drive her crazy and since I had every intention of getting her back in my bed, I concentrated my efforts in that particular spot.

"Ranger." My name was a protest, but she tilted her head to give me better access as she said it so I didn't pay much attention. I dragged my mouth up her neck and across her jaw line seeking the soft pout of her lips. She turned around to face me and I took advantage of the access, slipping my hand inside her robe to cover a breast at the same time as our tongues touched in a brain melting kiss. The woman was a master kisser.

I was throbbing beneath the sweats I'd thrown on after my shower and was just about to lift her up and take her right on the counter when she broke away. "I'm supposed to meet Lula in forty five minutes."

"I don't need forty five minutes, Babe."

She laughed and put her hands on my bare chest. When she pushed me away to get some distance between us her palms scraped against my nipples which did nothing but spike my desire.

"Believe me, I know. And it's incredibly tempting, but I still have to go home and change before I pick her up."

Lula – cock blocker extraordinaire. "Alright, but only if you let me take you to dinner tonight and then have my wicked way with you for dessert."

That comment should have made her smile but she pressed her lips together in a tight line and her eyes darted away from my face. I crossed my arms over my chest and took a step back. I had a feeling I wasn't going to like whatever was about to come out of her mouth. "What is it, Steph?"

She blew out a breath and then met my wary eyes. "I was going to talk to you about dinner…my Mother called yesterday."

That was fast. I'd only talked to her two days ago. I didn't think she'd be that quick since they hadn't said one word to each other in six months. "You finally talked to her?"

"No, I wasn't home. There was a message on my machine…she wants me to come to dinner tonight." She tried to hide it but I could see the hope of reconciliation in her eyes. It was laced with warranted suspicion and doubt, but it was there.

I reached out and touched her hair, twisting a long curl around my finger. "Then I'll take a rain check. You should go to your parent's tonight."

"I was kinda hoping you would go with me," she said softly. And I was hoping she would ask. I let her hair drop back into place.

"I have some business in New York today, but I should be back before six so I can meet you there."

Her shoulders sagged in relief as if she thought I would say no. When is she going to learn that I would never deny her anything? Especially something like this.

"Are you sure? It's going to be really awkward. And Grandma will probably try to grope you."

"If you want me with you, I'll be there, Steph. And I'm pretty sure I can handle your Grandma. I'll gag her and handcuff her to the dining room table if I have to. Your Dad will probably give me a medal."

The corners of her lips turned up in a small smile. "I know you know this, but I love you."

"I do know, but it's still nice to hear. I love you back."

That got me a full smile but it didn't last long. Her eyes dropped to the floor and she fiddled with the sash of my robe. I crossed my arms over my chest again. "Is there something else?"

She stuffed her hands into the pockets and looked up at me. "I'm going to see Joe today."

That I was _not_ expecting. I kept my mouth shut and ground my back molars together. I was thinking about telling Tank he'd have to handle New York without me today when she spoke again.

"You're doing that thing with your jaw."

"What thing?" I asked, slightly surprised at the change of subject.

"The thing where it looks like you want to punch something but you know you can't so you work this muscle right here until you get it under control." She touched my face at the jaw line. "It seems to happen whenever Morelli's name is mentioned or when Lester does something stupid."

I smiled at that. I must do it a lot since Lester is always doing something stupid. "You have me all figured out, don't you?"

She made a scoffing sound and rolled her eyes. "I'm pretty sure if I had a thousand years I still wouldn't be able to unravel all your mysteries."

"Why are you seeing Joe, Stephanie?" I brought us back on point abruptly.

Now she crossed _her_ arms over her chest in an obvious defensive posture. "I'm gonna give his ring back."

_Fuck._ I decided I shouldn't say up which orifice I thought Joe should shove his ring. "Are you sure you don't want to sell it and buy the entire Macy's shoe department?" I flashed her all my teeth and gave her an eyebrow wag so she couldn't see how much the thought of her being within a foot of Morelli irritated the shit out me.

"That's almost as tempting as getting you naked right here in the kitchen but…it's the right thing to do."

"Yeah, probably - but I still think you should give serious consideration to the shoe thing."

"So noted." She grinned and then looked at the clock hanging on the wall. "I gotta go, I'm gonna be late." She darted around me and tried to head for the bedroom but I grabbed her by the sleeve and twirled her back into my arms.

"One more taste before you go," I said and then lowered my lips to hers. The kiss quickly escalated into something I wasn't willing to stop without serious objection from her. When I peeled off her robe and it dropped to the floor she hadn't made a sound so I did what I wanted to before and boosted her onto the counter. She was freeing me of the confines of my sweat pants before I even reached for them and our mouths met in another furious kiss as I thrust inside her.

I was feeling very possessive and the need to remind her that she was mine was pushing me into a frantic pace. I slid my hands under her ass and dug my fingers into her cheeks, pulling her tighter to me with every rapid stroke. I knew I should slow down but she was meeting each drive with equal fervor and it was bringing me to the point of detonation sooner than I wanted. I tried to stop but Steph's slender fingertips curled into my shoulders until I thought she was going to draw blood and then her internal muscles clenched around me with a powerful orgasm. I was helplessly shuddering with my own a second later.

I stayed inside her not wanting to lose the intimate contact that I constantly craved, but when our erratic breaths returned to near normalcy, I slowly pulled out and set her on the floor. I yanked up my sweats and picked up the robe off the floor. I draped it over her shoulders before kissing her one last time. "I'll see you at six," I said and pushed her towards the bedroom before I said _'fuck it'_ to everything and kept her naked in my bed for the rest of the day.

She stopped at the threshold to my sitting room and turned to face me. "Joe knows I'm yours – you didn't have to leave your mark." She touched the small hickey I left on her neck with a sly grin and then disappeared inside my bedroom before I had a chance to respond.

I hadn't meant to do it – but I'd been a little out of control.

Okay, maybe I did it on purpose.

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I sat down on the bumper and Tank gripped my jaw with just a little too much force as he twisted my head into the overhead light in the back of the Explorer to get a better look. "This needs stitches." His tone was harsh and he wasn't gentle when he wiped at the cut on my cheek with an alcohol pad.

He spent a few seconds cleaning off the blood before speaking again. "I assume you don't want to go to the hospital."

"Correct. You can do it."

"Lester would be better. His hands are smaller."

We glanced across the parking lot to where Lester and Ace were standing, talking quietly while keeping watch over the man on the ground, handcuffed at their feet.

"I don't want Lester anywhere near my face. He'd probably make the stitches in the shape of a heart just to fuck with me."

Tank let out a small grunt of agreement. "We could try to butterfly it until Bobby gets back from his trip tomorrow." I'd let Bobby off for two weeks so he could go to the Caribbean with Cleona. He hadn't checked in once so we assumed he was either dead or hadn't taken his dick out of her long enough to pick up a phone.

"Just fucking sew it up, Tank."

He exhaled a short breath, which for Tank was the equivalent of an exasperated sigh. He retrieved the necessary items from the medical kit that came standard in all Rangeman vehicles and set about closing the gash on my face.

It took ten stitches and when he was done he cracked the cold pack from the box and handed it to me. I held it to my cheek and hoped it would keep the swelling down. Dinner with Stephanie's parents would be even more awkward if I showed up looking like I'd been in a bar fight.

"You wanna tell me what happened in there?"

I cut my eyes to Lester and Ace and then back to Tank. "We got our skip, just like we always do," I said, knowing that wasn't what he meant. I hoped he would let it go, but I was shit out of luck today.

"I haven't seen anyone get the drop on you like that in at least ten years. You're fortunate he didn't get that knife in your gut."

I could try to deny it, but he was right. I was distracted and lost my focus long enough that the guy was not only able to pull a weapon on me but actually do some damage with it. I don't even remember the last time that happened.

"Stephanie is giving Morelli his ring back today."

"Shit," Tank said and I nodded.

"And we're having dinner with her parents."

"_Christ._ You should have let the guy stab you in the stomach; it would have been less painful."

I barked out a laugh and looked at our FTA squirming on the ground. Lester kicked him lightly on the shoulder and he stilled his movements.

"It won't happen again," I said locking eyes with my second in command.

"I know," he agreed. "I assume you're aware you broke at least three of his ribs after he got his knife in your face."

I would have broken both his arms if Ace hadn't pulled me off. "Yeah. I was a little upset."

Tank gave me a rare full smile and gestured to Lester and Ace. It was time to load up our prisoner and take him back to Trenton. "Stephanie will be upset when she sees this. She hates it when you get hurt."

I knew the feeling. "I think she'll have too many other things holding her attention to worry about it very much."

"I can't argue with that and I am _really_ glad I'm not you today."

"Lucky bastard," I said and Tank laughed until we were all buckled in the car and heading back to New Jersey.


	4. Chapter 4

_This is only the first half of this chapter - the second half still needs some serious editing but I wanted to get you something for being so patient with me. Thanks for following along and leaving awesome comments._

_All recognizable characters belong to JE - mistakes are all on me._

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I took a quick shower and inspected my cheek in the mirror over the sink. The swelling was minimal and Tank's small, neat row of stitches almost blended into my dark skin - if you didn't look directly at my face. Stephanie would certainly notice, but hopefully her parents wouldn't look too closely.

I figured showing up in my swat gear wouldn't be the best option for not drawing attention so I poked around in my closet looking for a less intimidating outfit. I found a pair of worn blue jeans and slipped my arms into a light brown button down dress shirt. I finished the look with a pair of mahogany work boots and tied my hair back with a leather strap.

I had forty minutes until I was supposed to meet her so I tucked my gun in the small of my back and headed down to the fifth floor for a quick check in with the control room.

Hal and Bones were on the monitors and Hal swiveled in his chair when I came through the door.

"I was just going to call you…the cop has been parked at Steph's parents' house for the past ten minutes."

A bolt of anger and what might have been jealously zipped down my spine but I only raised a single eyebrow and addressed Hal. "I thought I made it clear that all tracking devices were to be removed from detective Morelli's vehicles."

He had the grace to look sheepish and I saw Bones stiffen in his chair. "Yeah, you did."

"Make sure it gets done this time," I said and then left without another word. No need to let them know I was actually grateful they defied a direct order. I knew they all cared about Stephanie and were just looking out for her so I couldn't really be mad. However, if Morelli discovered he was being monitored it would cause more trouble than it was worth to keep an eye on him.

But at this moment I took advantage of the knowledge and headed down to the garage.

Happy was pulling into a parking space when I opened the door from the stairs and I watched him unfold his large frame from the cab of his truck as I made my way to the Cayenne. He gave me a head nod of acknowledgement and I approached him when I saw the singed arm of his Rangeman jacket.

He was half of Tank's width but they were the same height so I had to tilt my head up to look into his eyes. "Little too close for comfort?" I gestured to his sleeve and he responded by peeling off the coat and rolling it up into a ball.

"She's okay," he said, meeting my gaze. If I didn't know him so well the flaring glow of his dark emerald eyes might have given me pause. He worked the muscle in his jaw and the black spider tattooed on his cheek moved as if it was alive and about to crawl across his face. Yeah, Happy could project an imposing presence, to say the least.

"I know," I told him. "I worry less when you're with her. Is the car being towed?"

He nodded. "I'll take care of it. Can we spar later?"

Happy and I spent a lot of time in the boxing ring. It was an outlet for me to expel pent up energy, or in many cases, anger or outright rage. That was especially true for me when Steph got hurt, or like today, came close to getting hurt. Happy's motivation wasn't always clear but he was the only man on my staff that could hold his own in the ring with me so I didn't worry too much about it. I suspected we had similar reasons for needing to beat the shit out of something - or _someone_. Everyone agreed it was better than most alternatives - and safer. If we were pummeling each other, then neither of us was out in the world doing damage that couldn't be undone.

"I have a dinner tonight but I'll see if you're around when I get back."

His green eyes flashed with something unidentifiable before he said quietly, "She loves you."

I didn't know if that was a question or if he thought I needed reassurance so I just nodded as I extracted my keys from my pocket.

"Morelli is a prick," he tacked on and I couldn't disagree. "I passed him heading into the burg after I dropped her off. I wanted to shoot out his tires."

That made me smile. "I've had similar thoughts myself." I thought I saw Happy's lips twitch, but I couldn't be sure.

"Later," he said and headed to the stairwell.

And Stephanie thought _I_ was a man a few words. I slid behind the wheel of my car and broke several speed limits on my way to what would probably end up being the dinner from hell.

When I turned on to the Plums' street I saw Morelli's SUV first and then spotted the man himself. He and Stephanie were on the front lawn. She was holding a cardboard box and Morelli was, in my opinion, standing too close to her with his hands at his sides and curled into tight fists. I hoped one of them held the engagement ring she insisted upon returning so there would never be a reason for them to see each other again.

Joe was talking but despite popular belief, I don't have vampire hearing so I tried to read his lips as I pulled up behind his truck and cut the engine. It took most of my self-control not to get out of the car and threaten him bodily harm. I knew Steph wanted to do this and she wanted to do it on her own so I stayed put and did my jaw thing while I gripped the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white. It was probably best, she wouldn't be happy if we came to blows and that was always a distinct possibility when Morelli and I shared the same air space.

After what seemed like an eternity he said one more thing that made Stephanie wince and then turned to leave. He faltered for a second when he saw me sitting in my car but recovered quickly and flipped me the bird before he got into his truck and drove away - I hoped for the last time.

I secured my vehicle and quickly made my way to her side. "You okay?" I asked automatically even though I knew she wasn't. There were unshed tears in her eyes and she was hugging the box tightly to her chest. Fucking Morelli. I hated that he still held a big enough piece of her heart to make her cry. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and she leaned into me, but didn't answer. We stood that way for a few minutes until her Grandmother appeared at the screen door and peered out at us.

"You two coming in, or what? I wanna show you my new gun!"

Steph and I shared a look that was equally horrified and intrigued. "We'll be there in a minute," Steph called. Her voice was thick with emotion and it made my heart lurch in my chest. _Fucking Morelli._

"Don't tell anyone, but sometimes I think your Grandma is a little scary," I said in an attempt to lighten her mood. I tapped the box she was holding with my forefinger. "What's in here?"

She blew out a breath and shifted the box to one arm, balancing it on her hip so she could smooth her messy brown curls back from her face. "I guess some stuff I left at Joe's house."

"Ah. I see. Want me to light it on fire?"

She gave me a small smile and shook her head. "No. I'll go through it later."

"Where's your car?" I asked even though I knew the burned out shell was somewhere on Stark street.

She lifted her eyebrows. "Why are you pretending you don't know exactly what happened today? I know Happy called you the second it exploded."

I grinned at her and leaned in to peck her on the cheek. "Completely destroyed?"

"Yes," she breathed in mild frustration. "Another one bites the dust."

"You do have frighteningly bad car karma, Babe. I'll put this in the Porsche and then we'll go have a lovely dinner with your family."

I took the box from her and headed to my car. I laughed when she called to my retreating back, "I can't believe you said that with a straight face."

I dropped the box on the front seat and was tempted to see exactly what was in it. I wouldn't put it past Morelli to have filled it with things he knew would upset her, but I left it alone. I closed the door and once again joined her on the lawn. "Are we going to talk about Joe later?" I asked and laced my fingers through hers.

"That depends on if you want to talk about what happened to your face." She extended her other hand and lightly ran her thumb over the stitches.

"Quid pro quo, huh? We'll have to negotiate the terms after dinner." I wrapped my other arm around her and pulled her in for a kiss. It was just on the verge of sliding from PG rated to a good strong R when Edna appeared at the door again.

"Hot damn! That's some good kissin'. I bet the neighbors are glued to the windows."

Stephanie groaned into my mouth and I backed away, the intimate moment deflated by an eighty year old with what looked like blue hair, ogling us from the front porch.

"Ready to face the music," she asked and I nodded somberly.

"If you are, but just so you know, I _am_ armed and prepared to shoot anyone who gets out of line."

She smiled and extracted her hand from mine to pull me back for a quick hug. "Thank you for being here," she said and then released me. "You look pretty hot in this outfit, by the way." She ran her hand down the front of my shirt, smoothing it out against my chest and then her eyes dropped to my pants. "_Really_ hot. I don't remember the last time I saw you in jeans. I like it." Her gaze traveled back up my body in a slow scan. "Maybe too much."

I was really tempted to throw her over my shoulder and load her into the Cayenne. It was only a five minute ride to her apartment. "If you keep looking at me that way, we're not going to make it inside the house."

She sighed and turned to peer at the dwelling in question. "The sooner we go in the sooner I can get you out of those jeans, right?"

"I like the way you think," I said and took her hand once again. We headed up the walkway and Edna held the screen door open for us.

"Looking good, Grandma," Steph said casually when we stepped into the house. I wasn't sure _good_ was the right choice of words. Not only was her hair an alarming shade of blue but she was wearing a white leather skirt that stopped way too short of her knees and a small pink tank top that looked like it might have come right from Lula's closet. The word '_Sexy'_ was printed across the chest in silver sparkling sequins.

"Trying out a new hair color?" Steph glanced at me with an expression that clearly said, _Yikes! _And I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing out loud.

"Do you like it?" Edna asked and patted the tightly rolled curls with a wrinkled, veiny hand. "It's called '_Indigo Dream'. _I thought your Mother was going to have a stroke when I got home from the beauty parlor."

The smile on her face told me that she'd done it with the sole intent of screwing with her daughter and I could respect that. Helen Plum wasn't on my list of favorite people.

"I bet," Stephanie muttered. "How many hours did she spend ironing?"

"Four. She even ironed Frank's drawers but I think she over did it with the starch because he's walking around like he's got a stick stuck up his patoot."

We were following her down the hallway that leads to the dining room and I couldn't hold in the laugh on that one. She twisted around and grinned at me. "I'm glad you're here," she said. It's been too long since a sexy man has come to dinner."

"_Grandma!"_ Steph admonished.

"What? It's not like you don't know he's hot as the sun. I saw you squeezing his butt outside during that scorcher of a kiss. I wouldn't mind grabbing a handful myself."

"You need to keep your hands to yourself," Steph said and I couldn't agree more. I tried to subtly position her body between mine and Edna's but Steph was too quick for me and darted off to the left, leaving me exposed to potentially groping hands. Edna winked at me and I had to smile. This was going to be an interesting evening.

"Don't go nowhere," she said, pointing at me. "I'm gonna get my gun."

She darted out of the dining room leaving us alone. "She's nuts," I told Steph. "Now I know where you get it."

"Funny. I was going to kiss you again but since you have to be a smart-ass, I've changed my mind."

I reached out and grabbed her arm before she could get away and yanked her up against my body. I slid my arm around her waist and dipped my hand down into the waistband of her jeans, giving her own luscious ass a squeeze before I covered her mouth with mine and kissed her until her knees started to buckle. I drew back when I heard Edna returning and left Steph standing there with a slightly glazed look in her eye and puffy, thoroughly ravished lips.

"Check this baby out," her Grandma said and clomped into the room on four inch chunky white heels that also screamed _Lula. _She was wielding a fifty caliber, ten inch, gold Desert Eagle and I had to fight the instinct to duck. The Desert Eagle is a substantial gun and not surprisingly, she was having a hard time holding it up with one hand.

"Shit, Grandma. Where did you get that?" I'd like to know that too. No respectable gun store owner would sell a gun like that to an eighty year old woman who weighed less than some breeds of dog.

"I bought it from the dealer. Isn't it a pip? You could blow the head clean off a chicken with this thing. I haven't tried that out yet though." You could blow the head clean off of a lot of things with that gun and I sincerely hoped she would never test it out.

"_Dougie_ sold that to you?" Steph was a tad incredulous and shot me a look that made me think she would happily kill Dougie at the first available opportunity.

"Sure," she replied. "And that's not all." She set the gun on the dining room table right next to the butter dish and then proceeded to hike up her skirt.

There is not enough bleach in the world to wash that image from my brain. She was showing us the thigh holster fastened around her leg that was cradling a baby Glock 26, but all I could see was the neon green thong. I guess I should be grateful she wasn't going commando.

Unfortunately, Stephanie's parents chose that moment to enter the dining room.

"_Holy_ _Christ_," her Father muttered. _"Mother!" _Helen screeched and then fell backwards in a dead faint.

For a second everyone froze and then Steph and Edna raced to Helen's side. While they were busy trying to rouse her, I used the distraction to remove the magazine from the Desert Eagle after making sure she hadn't chambered a round. I slid the clip into my pocket, satisfied none of us would accidentally end up getting shot.

I looked up and Frank Plum was giving me a nod of approval. He stuck out his hand and I shook it. "Welcome to the nut house," he said. "I'm gonna get a scotch." His eyes flickered to his wife laid out on the floor. "Maybe a double. You want one?" It was tempting, but I declined his offer and he disappeared.

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**AN: Got some help from my gun enthusiast boyfriend for this - He owns both of the guns mentioned here and gave me a brief lesson - The thigh holster was his idea. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

_As always - all credit for familiar characters goes to JE - mistakes are all mine._

_Sorry for the wait!_

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"Maybe she's dead," Edna said and patted the unconscious Helen on the cheek.

"She's not dead," Stephanie muttered as she kneeled beside her Mother.

"I have some smelling salts in the car," I offered.

"Do you think that will work?" Steph asked, looking up at me with hopeful eyes.

"It's worth a shot."

I left them in the dining room and headed outside. I was thinking dinner might be more pleasant if we left her unconscious, but they seemed determined to rouse her so I retrieved the salt and headed back to the house.

Edna and Steph glanced at me when I came back in the room and I crouched beside them at Helen's head.

"Maybe we should just leave her and cover her with a blanket," Edna said, echoing my own thoughts.

We both looked at Stephanie as if asking her permission to do that. She bit her bottom lip and cut her eyes to her Mother's face. She looked at her so long I thought she would actually let us do it.

'No," she finally said. "We can't. Give me that." She snatched the salt from my hand, cracked the top and waved it under Helen's nose.

She awoke with a gasp and looked at each of us in turn. "What's going on?"

"You fainted," Edna supplied.

"That's silly. I don't faint." She struggled to her feet and we backed away, giving her some room. She smoothed out her clothes and patted at her hair and then looked at me as if she hadn't seen me a few seconds ago.

"Oh. Mr. Manoso…I didn't know you'd be joining us for dinner. I'll have to get another place setting."

"I'll get it," Edna said and headed toward the buffet cabinet along the wall.

"I appreciate that, but it's Ranger. There's no need for formality."

"Ranger…" she said slowly and made a face like my name left a bad taste on her tongue. "That can't possibly be your given name."

I opened my mouth but Stephanie answered before I could. "It's what he goes by, Mother," she said and laced her fingers through mine.

Helen gave a pointed look at our joined hands and pressed her lips together in a tight line before saying tightly, "I see."

"Carlos is my given name, if that would make you more comfortable." I threw out the peace offering before the battle could get too far along.

"He prefers Ranger," Stephanie said through clenched teeth.

"It's okay, Babe," I said softly looking down at her. "Let this one go." I squeezed her hand and winked. This dinner wasn't about me.

"Well then," Helen said. "I hope you like roast chicken, _Carlos_. I know it's Stephanie's favorite." She gave what could only be described as a victory grin and headed to the kitchen.

Steph's Grandma finished adding a plate for me and came to stand beside us. "Frank's out in the living room hittin' the sauce. Maybe we should all have a snort – might make this shit show a little more tolerable."

"_Grandma!"_ Steph said and I didn't know if she was protesting the swearing or the drinking.

"Your Mother is being a horse's behind. You should tell her where she can shove her chicken and get outta here. I bet there are dozen things you could be doing with this hot Cuban package instead of getting berated by my daughter." She waggled her eyebrows up and down and I wasn't sure if I wanted to laugh or if I wanted to think about the dozen things I could be doing _to_ and _with_ Stephanie.

Steph's eyes traveled toward the hallway that led to the front door and I knew she was seriously considering it. "Babe," I said softly and she looked at me hopefully. I shook my head.

"I know," she said on a sigh. "It's okay Grandma, we'll stay but I can't guarantee I'm going to keep my mouth shut."

"You shouldn't," Edna agreed. "Helen is never going to let up if you don't tell her she's being an uptight bitch."

Steph's Grandma is completely insane, but I loved her right then. I've been trying to tell her that for a very long time.

A small smile tilted her lips just as Helen arrived with the chicken. The wall on the clock chimed six o'clock and Frank slid into his chair at the head of the table as soon as the platter hit the wood.

"Stephanie, run into the kitchen and get the rest of the dishes," she said and I followed to help. She spun around to face me when we stepped into the room.

"I don't think I can do this, Ranger," she said on a whisper and I pulled her into a hug.

"You can and you will. Listen to your Grandma and tell her what you think. If you don't, she'll have this power over you for the rest of your life." I ran my hands up and down her arms and pressed my lips to her temple. "Your Grandma has your back and so do I."

She tilted her head up and I brushed a kiss across her lips. "Sometimes I don't think I deserve you."

"The feeling is mutual, Babe."

We carried out the mashed potatoes, green beans and dinner rolls and the torture began as soon as we sat down.

"Stephanie, Mrs. Watkins' daughter Marilyn got married two weeks ago and moved to Detroit with her new husband."

"Is that so?" Stephanie muttered as she buttered a roll and I squeezed her thigh under the table.

"Yes, and that means her position at the button factory is open. I called Lois Cones who works in human resources there and got you an interview for tomorrow."

"I don't need a job, Mom," she said and took a bite of bread.

"Of course you do. I had twenty eight calls this afternoon – _twenty eight!_ - About another of your cars blowing up. Marilyn has never had any of her cars blown up working at the button factory."

"Sounds pretty boring if you ask me," Edna said before Stephanie could respond. "Who would want to make buttons? I rather sit all day with sand in my underwear than make buttons."

Frank snorted out a laugh as he shoveled a fork full of chicken into his mouth.

"I like my job, Mother. I'm not looking for a new one."

Helen sighed in obvious exasperation. "You need a respectable career, Stephanie. What man is ever going to want you again if you keep at this ridiculous and dangerous job?"

I felt a ball of anger start to develop in the pit of my stomach and when I looked at Stephanie, she was glaring at her Mother with undisguised hatred. So were Edna and Frank.

Her fork was full of mashed potatoes but she set it down calmly on her plate and spoke without raising her voice even a little. "I know you know that Ranger and I are together now and he is a man…"

"Who wants her very much," I interjected.

"…so I guess your argument is invalid," she finished shooting me a grateful look.

Helen ignored her and focused her judgmental eyes on me. "And what kind of life can a man like you offer my daughter? What are your intentions? Are you going to marry her?"

Stephanie opened her mouth, but I shook my head and took her hand with a look that told her I would handle this one. I decided to ignore the _'man like you'_ part and focused on the actual questions.

"I have the means and the desire to give her any kind of life she wants. I intend to make her happy for the rest of her life and we have no plans to marry, but if Stephanie decides that's what she wants I would marry her in a second. Today, if that's what she decided. I think that covers all your concerns, doesn't it?"

I held Helen's gaze but could feel Stephanie's eyes on my face. We had never discussed marriage but I was completely serious. I would marry her – today, tomorrow, ten years from now – all she had to do was say the word.

"Yes. That covers everything and she doesn't have anything else to say on the subject of your relationship, Stephanie's job or any other aspect of her daughter's life. Isn't that right, Helen?"

We all turned in shock to Steph's Dad. As far as I knew, he'd never spoken one word against his wife all of Stephanie's life. Better late than never, I guess.

She smiled at her Father and he gave her a small wink before digging back into his plate of food.

"I'm glad to hear it," Stephanie announced into the silence that had settled over the table after that. "But I have something to say to you, Mother."

I heard Frank suck in a breath and when I cut a quick look at Edna she had a giant smile on her face. She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for the show.

Helen simply turned her face to her daughter with a mask of expectancy, but I could see the fear behind her eyes.

"I love you Mom and I'm sorry that I ruined your plans for my life, but I did not love Joe and it would have been a huge mistake to marry him. I'm in love with Ranger and I have been for a very long time. He makes me happy. My job makes me happy and I'm not going to change either one of those things – EVER. I'm never going to fit into this little burg mold that you have designed for me so if you can't accept that then we should leave and I'll do you the favor of never returning because this is who I am, Mom. It's taken me a while, but I like me and I like my life and I'd like for you to be a part of it, but I'm not going to sit here and let you disrespect me or the man I love ever again. Understand?"

I brought Stephanie's hand to my mouth and kissed her knuckles. That has been a long time coming and I couldn't be more proud of her.

"That's my girl," Edna said under her breath and her Father got up out of his seat pulled his daughter into a hug and left the table as his plate was clean.

As Stephanie settled back into her chair, her Mother looked at us both in turn and then picked up her fork and resumed eating. Her face was pale and her hand shook but she said, "Alright. I'm making meatloaf next Saturday. I'd be happy to have you both join us for dinner."

It wasn't a great response, but I guess under the circumstances it was the best we could hope for. I was sure that over time, things would get better between them. We finished dinner, making polite non-meaningful conversation, except for the story Edna told about an unfortunate incident involving a feather boa and Simon Pinkowski from the senior center that I wish I could forget I ever heard. Helen sent us home with half of a pineapple upside down cake and some leftover chicken and Stephanie's promise to think about coming to dinner again next week.

"I'm proud of you, Babe," I said as we hit the sidewalk outside the house.

"At least someone is."

"Your Mother needed to hear those things from you and she'll come around. She has a horrible way of showing it, but deep down she loves you and wants to have a relationship with you. She just doesn't understand you."

"I hope you're right, but I don't think I want to be around her until she figures out how to not insult me, or _you_ for that matter, every time she opens her mouth."

"That might turn out to be…_challenging _for her," I said. Or downright impossible.

"Yeah," Steph said with a small grunt of agreement. I unlocked the Cayenne and held open the door for her.

"Shit," she said and stared at the cardboard file box sitting on the seat. "I forgot about this." She picked it up and climbed onto the seat, settling it on her lap as I made my way around the front of the car. She was taking the lid off when I slid behind the wheel and deposited the bag of food in the back seat.

Guilt flooded her big blue eyes. "I guess I had that coming," she murmured softly.

I didn't know what was in there but I had a strong desire to punch Morelli right in the throat for putting that look in her eyes again.

I turned the engine over but left the car in park. "What's in it?" I asked instead of ripping it from her hands and throwing it out the window.

"Some of my clothes, some shampoo and apparently every gift I've ever given him." She pulled out the sleeve of a hockey jersey and then stuffed it back in the box. "That one cost a fortune. It's signed by Henrik Lundqvist."

I wasn't the biggest hockey fan, but I certainly recognized the name. Morelli is a first class asshole. She inhaled a shaky breath and put the lid back on the box. "I should have let you burn it." She tried to smile but failed miserably.

I killed the engine and turned to face her. "You have to stop with the guilt, Steph. Believe me, it's not warranted."

"That's not what…" she tried to deny but I cut her off.

"I know what guilt looks like and I've seen it on your face too many goddamn times to even mention. Morelli and his wandering dick don't deserve it, Stephanie. He doesn't even deserve to breathe the same air you do." My tone was a little harsher than I'd intended but I couldn't stand seeing her feel bad for that asshole one more fucking second.

Stephanie's expression went stony and for a few seconds I couldn't hear anything but the sound of our breathing. I figured out my mistake right before she spoke.

Her voice was calm and steady but there was no denying the anger pulsing through her blood. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

_Shit. _No point in lying to her now.

"Yes."

"Joe was cheating?"

In hindsight, I probably should have told her from the beginning but I knew what it would do to her self esteem and I didn't want that to be the reason she came to me.

"Yes again."

She clamped her mouth shut and turned away from me.

"Babe," I tried but she cut _me_ off this time.

"How long?" She was staring out the window at her parents' house, resolutely not looking at me.

Why didn't I tell her before now? Because I'm apparently an asshole too. "Long before you called off the wedding."

She unhooked her seatbelt, opened the door and exited the vehicle. I was expecting her to slam it but she shut it gently and then I watched her hurl the box Joe had given her down the street. I got out of the car and looked at the mess.

The box had split apart when it hit the street and the contents were scattered across the road. Moving around to the passenger side I leaned up against the front fender. "Feel better?"

She whirled around and cut me to the quick with eyes that had hardened to steel. "Why didn't you tell me?"

I sighed heavily and crossed my arms over my chest. This could get really ugly, really fast.

"Because I didn't want you to be hurt and I especially didn't want you thinking you'd done something or that you _hadn't_ done something that made him seek out someone else."

"That's a bullshit answer, Ranger," she replied irritably. "I'm a big girl and perfectly capable of handling rejection. I don't need you to shelter me from things like that."

"That's all true, but it doesn't stop me from trying. I will always do anything I can to keep you from getting hurt – physically or _emotionally_. It's just the way I'm wired where you're concerned."

She rolled her eyes in total exasperation. "Okay – I get that. But I know that's not all. What's the rest of it?"

_Damn. _She had her claws in and she wasn't going to let go. I guess I might as well tell her everything. "The rest of it is selfish. Are you sure you want to hear it?"

She simply mirrored my posture and waited. I let out a small breath and stuffed my hands into the pockets of my jeans. "I didn't tell you because when you decided you wanted to be with me – I needed it to be because you _wanted_ to be, not because you were mad at Joe or trying to get back at him for his indiscretions. I needed you to make a choice without any outside influences."

She looked away from me but not before I saw a tear escape from the corner of her eye. "You do realize this information probably would have stopped my Mother from completely freezing me out for six months, right?" She swiped at her eyes and faced me again.

"You're kidding, right? I don't think anything short of murder would've kept her from pushing you to marry Morelli. And let's call a spade a spade here, Steph. You're just as responsible for the state of your relationship with your Mother as she is. You've had thirty plus years to stand up to her but didn't get it done until tonight. And if I hadn't had a conversation with her a couple of days ago, you still wouldn't have."

Her eyes went wide and I realized I'd put my foot in my mouth again.

"You talked to her?"

_Shit. _"Yes, I talked to her."

Stephanie spun away, showing me her back and I thought for a second she was going to run but she said, "So she didn't even want me here – she was just afraid you would kill her in her sleep if she didn't extend an invitation."

"Jesus Stephanie." I pushed off the car and came up behind her, settling my hands on her shoulders. "I didn't threaten your Mother. I simply let her know if she didn't get her head out of her ass, she would lose you forever and neither of you would want that."

She shrugged off my hands and took a few steps away, putting too much distance between us. I wanted to pull her into my arms and hold her but she obviously didn't even want me to touch her.

"You're such an arrogant asshole, Ranger," she said, turning to look at me once again. "You can't just swoop in on your batwings and fix everything. This wasn't your call."

"I wasn't trying to fix anything. I was trying to help by opening a door of communication. And there aren't any batwings, Babe. I'm not a super hero. I'm just a man who obviously makes mistakes, this being a big one, but I truly had the best of intentions here." I reached for her but she dodged away.

"Don't – just don't. I can't….I don't even want to look at you right now."

I ran my hand over my hair in frustration and ripped out the leather strap holding it off my face. "Will you at least let me take you home?"

She shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. "No. I'll borrow big blue. Just…go, Ranger."

"Fine," I bit out and stalked back to my car. I got behind the wheel and slammed the door with enough force to shake the frame. I turned the engine over and with any form of maturity a distant memory, I peeled away from the curb with a piercing screech of tires.

I needed to hit something – _hard_ – and since beating the shit out of Morelli would land me in a jail cell, I made a phone call.

####

####

* * *

A loud grunt expelled from Happy's lungs when my fist connected with his kidney and I was pretty sure that final shot would have him pissing blood for a week but I wasn't fairing much better. All my ribs were bruised and I think he might have cracked my clavicle. We were both struggling for breath and dripping with sweat and I was just about to call a truce when a hush fell over the audience that had gathered to watch us fight.

Our heads turned in unison and we saw Stephanie making her way across the gym. She looked like she was ready for bed, dressed in a pair of red flannel pajama bottoms and a tight Wonder Woman t-shirt I knew she frequently slept in. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and her face was scrubbed clean but her eyes were red and puffy – the telltale sign of a serious bout of crying. A painful jab twisted in my stomach. Knowing I was the reason for all those tears hurt more than any punch Happy had thrown tonight.

Tank tossed us each a towel and held the ropes so we could get out of the ring faster. Happy gave me a fist bump and then headed towards the exit, rubbing the sweat off his bald head as he went. He shocked everyone when he met up with Steph, whispered something in her ear and then kissed her on the cheek.

He left the gym and after a few seconds of stunned silence and as if I'd ordered it, the rest of the men in the room began filing out behind him without a word.

Stephanie and I stood watching each other until only the two of us remained. Tank was the last one to leave and when the door clicked closed behind him, she fell into my arms.

"I'm sorry," she said and I held her tightly to my sweat slicked body.

"Me too," I replied and buried my face in her hair.

"I'm still mad," she added into my chest.

"I know," I said and rubbed my hand up and down her back. "It makes me crazy when I know you're hurting, Steph. I only wanted to help. I'm sorry I went about it the wrong way."

"I understand," she said and pulled back from my embrace so she could look at me. "I probably would have done the same thing if our positions were reversed." She lifted up onto her toes and brushed her lips softly across mine.

I pulled her against me again and her arms wrapped around my waist. I really needed a shower but I didn't want to let her go, half afraid if I did she would leave and never come back.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" I asked softly and pressed my lips to her temple.

More than one beat passed and I breathed a silent sigh of relief when she finally whispered, "Yes."

I took her by the hand and tugged her out of the gym and into the elevator. She leaned into me once we were inside and kissed the base of my neck.

"What did Happy say to you, Babe?" I knew the guys would bug me relentlessly until I found out.

She tilted her head up to look into my eyes. "He said I should be gentle with you because he destroyed your ribs." Her blue orbs twinkled with mischief as she softly ran her hand down my chest and over my supposedly ruined ribs. They _were_ very tender but hardly destroyed.

"Is that right?"

"Yep. Not that I mind this look," she did a cursory scan of my bare torso and let her eyes linger at my waist where I knew my shorts were hanging dangerously low on my hips, "but you worked up _quite_ a sweat." She backed up a step and pulled at her shirt that was damp with my perspiration. "Is a shower first on your agenda tonight?"

I knew in that moment that we were going to get through this and I let out another slow breath of relief. I gave her my patented raised eyebrow as the door opened on the lobby of the penthouse. "It was, but since I'm planning on getting naked and sweaty again in about five minutes, I hardly think it's worth the effort."

She grinned at me and my heart swelled to capacity. God, I loved that smile. "What if I agreed to wash your back?"

"Interesting," I said as I let us into my apartment. "The idea could have some merit after all. What about my front? I might need some help in that regard as well. Happy also beat the shit out of my shoulder so I don't know if I'll be able to reach some of the more _dirty_ places."

Stephanie stopped just short of rolling her eyes and headed to the bathroom in front of me. "Let's go, Mr. subtle. I'll wash every dirty place you can imagine _and_ all the ones you can't."

_Sweet Jesus. _


	6. Chapter 6

_**Nine months later…**_

I'd been gone for close to a month - the details of my whereabouts were highly classified – but I was somewhere a place to shower had been non-existent and even though I'd cleaned up before I got on the plane to come home, the first thing I wanted to do was spend a great deal of time with my multiple shower heads and a bottle of Bvlgari. Actually, the first thing I wanted to do was see Stephanie, but I couldn't count on her being there, just waiting around for me to arrive – especially since she didn't even know I was coming home – Highly classified, as I said. Or as Steph liked to say – super secret spy shit.

I pulled into the Rangeman garage and headed to my apartment. I should have stopped on five to check in but the control room would already have picked me up on the cameras as soon as I hit the gate so I took the elevator right to seven. I let myself in and stopped dead in the entryway.

Something was different. A lot of somethings. My first instinct was to pull my gun and I actually reached for it before shaking my head. My brain was obviously still a little fried from lack of sleep because there was no way anyone could have broken in to lie in wait for me. I dropped my bag next to the sideboard and went to investigate.

The first thing I noticed was Stephanie's rat spinning on his wheel in the cage sitting on my kitchen counter. He stopped running when he spotted me and then raced into his soup can when I tapped a greeting on the glass. Twitchy little thing. I looked around the kitchen and saw some dishes in the sink and a half full bottle of water sitting on the counter. _Curious_. Apparently Ella hadn't been in to clean yet. I opened a few cupboards and found some things that normally would never appear in my kitchen. A box of Captain Crunch cereal, an entire case of TastyKakes, a jar of peanut butter and a nearly empty package of Oreo cookies.

I took a look in the living room before heading to the bedroom and saw a pair of tennis shoes that were way too small to be mine and a pair of four inch, black stiletto heels that _definitely_ weren't mine. The latest issue of Cosmo was sitting on my coffee table and a blue hockey sweatshirt was draped over the back of my chair. _Very_ _curious_.

I made my way into the bedroom. I knew I wasn't operating at a fully functional level yet, so I couldn't be sure, but it appeared Stephanie had been staying at my apartment in my absence. The only bad thought I had about that was she wasn't in my bed. I would have given anything to walk in there right then and find her in my bed. Preferably _naked_ in my bed. However, it was close to ten in the morning so she was probably out rounding up FTA's.

I stepped into the bathroom and was nearly brought to my knees by the gentle scent of her perfume. _Jesus,_ I loved that smell. Apparently my dick did too because it suddenly felt like granite behind my zipper. The counter in the dressing room was covered with make-up and lotions and several other things I didn't have the energy to define and I didn't really care because this seemed like way more items than necessary for spending a few nights. For the final test I entered my walk-in closet. I couldn't stop the smile I felt stretching my face.

Stephanie had moved in.

I needed to see her and the sooner the better. I took a quick shower and dressed in my usual black on black on black and headed out. I stopped on five to check the control room for her location and came face to face with Tank when I stepped out of the stairwell.

I knew he was surprised to see me – even he didn't know where I'd been this time – but all I got was a slightly raised eyebrow.

"When did you get back?" He asked.

"Just now."

"Any new bullet holes?"

I thought about a very close call and rubbed at my chest where I'd almost taken a few rounds. "I got lucky this time."

"I doubt luck had anything to do with it. I have some things that need your attention since you're here."

I looked at my watch and was calculating how much I was willing to give him when he said, "She's at Vinnie's as of five minutes ago. Make some time for me later."

I grinned at him and I think he almost rolled his eyes. I hit the stairs to the garage practically at a run and took the Turbo to the bonds office.

Happy's truck was parked right in front and I eased into the empty space behind it. I was glad to see she was still allowing him to shadow her. I locked the car and headed in.

Lula was standing in front of the filing cabinets and holding a doughnut in one hand while her other one was planted firmly on her jutted out hip. She was saying something to Connie who was sitting at her desk applying a fresh coat of nail polish. Happy was lounging on the couch flipping through Guns and Ammo magazine and Stephanie had one butt cheek propped on the edge of Connie's desk while she read a new file. Everyone but Happy looked up when I walked in – he had been watching when I pulled up and had gone back to his magazine when he knew it was me.

Steph was the only one I cared about and I zeroed in on her immediately, crossing the distance between us in three long strides. She was wearing her standard uniform of cat boots, blue jeans and a stretchy t-shirt and she was smiling at me. When I was within range, I yanked her to me by an arm and covered her mouth with mine, kissing her long and slow and deep. Her arms snaked around my waist and up under my t-shirt where the touch of her skin to mine sent tingles of electricity out every nerve ending including the one currently pressed against her pelvis. I squeezed her tighter to me so she could feel exactly what she was doing to me. A soft moan escaped her throat and only Lula's voice penetrating the lust induced fog I'd created got me to break away from her.

"Damn that's sexy. Is my shirt still on?" She patted at her spandex tube top with the hand not clutched around a doughnut. "That was so hot I thought my clothes might have melted right off."

Connie was too busy fanning herself with a folder to respond and Happy had disappeared into the bathroom.

"It seems like you missed me," Steph said, tilting her head up to look in my eyes.

"Like crazy, Babe."

"Awwwww – that was some sweet shit right there, Batman," Lula said while Connie nodded her head in agreement and I was over having an audience. I grabbed Stephanie's hand and tugged her outside.

"I bet they're gonna get naked in his car," I heard Lula say as the door closed behind us and I'll admit the thought crossed my mind. I nudged Stephanie into the alley between the buildings and pinned her to the wall with my body. I touched my lips briefly to hers again, ran my hands through her hair and that's when I noticed the dark circles under her eyes and the decidedly death warmed over pallor of her complexion.

"What's wrong?"I asked brushing my thumbs over the purple bruises.

"Nothing."

"Steph…"

She sighed softly and slid her hands around my waist. She pressed her face into my chest and inhaled a slow breath. "You smell great," she said trying to dodge my question again.

"What's wrong?" I repeated, this time with a little more demand in my tone.

"It's nothing, really," she said and I pulled back to look at her, giving my best _'stop bullshitting me'_ face.

She sighed again. "I haven't been sleeping well and I've had some stomach issues. Probably too many TaskyKakes."

"I did notice the unusual contents of my kitchen. Have you let Ella cook for you at all?"

"No. I didn't want to bother her and _you're_ her boss, not me."

"So you make yourself sick on junk food, instead?"

"_Ranger."_ She rolled her eyes and poked me in the chest. "You've been gone for a month, is my junk food addiction really what you want to talk about right now?"

She had a point. I actually didn't want to talk at all so I kissed her instead. When I felt her knees start to give I broke away. "Do you want to discuss how it appears you've moved in with me?"

"You noticed, huh?"

"It would've been hard to miss the explosion of women's' clothes in my closet."

She bit the corner of her bottom lip. "Are you mad?"

"You know I'm not. I've been asking you to live with me for months. I was actually so happy about it I blew off a debriefing with Tank to come see you."

"Really? Is _he_ mad?"

"No. But I do have to meet with him soon. What made you decide?"

"Well, my lease was up and I knew I was going to _eventually_ move in so…" she shrugged her shoulders and I kissed her again.

"Let's celebrate tonight."

"Will that involve one or both of us being naked?"

"Definitely both," I confirmed and kissed her one last time. "I gotta go, Babe. Be home by six and we'll have dinner – with real food – and you can tell me everything you've been doing the past month."

"Only back five minutes and you're already bossing me around," she called to my retreating back as I left the alley.

I was smiling when I slid behind the wheel of my Porsche, thinking about how bossy I would be later. When she was naked.

####

* * *

I ran into Lester when I got back to Rangeman and I guess I must have still been smiling because he was leering at me when I stepped out of the car.

"Only back a hot second and you already got some, huh? Where'd you do it? The storage closet in the back of Vinnie's? The alley? Shit. You did it in the Turbo, didn't you? Where'd she put her legs? Can you draw me a diagram?"

_Christ._ "Why do you say things that make other people want to punch you in the throat?"

"It's a sickness," he said. "I'm taking a pill for it."

"It might be time to up the dosage."

He grinned and fell in step beside me. "How was the mission?"

I opened the door to the stairwell and let him go in ahead of me. "Took longer than anticipated."

"Don't they always?" He asked as we made our way up the steps.

"Usually." He didn't ask any more questions because he knew I couldn't answer if he did and he managed to not say anything else offensive the rest of the way up to the fifth floor, which was a bit of a marvel.

"You see Tank yet?" He wanted to know as we entered the hallway that leads to the control room.

"On my way there now."

"So you don't know about Jeanne Ellen yet?"

Christ. I didn't _want_ to know anything about Jeanne Ellen. "What about her?"

His only response was that stupid grin and he wisely darted out of my reach before I choked the smile right off his face. The last thing I needed was any sort of Jeanne Ellen drama.

Tank's door was open so I entered without knocking and closed it behind me before settling into the single chair facing his desk.

"That was fast," he said briefly glancing up from the payroll journal he was scouring.

"What's the story with Jeanne Ellen?" Might as well get the bad shit over with first.

Tank leaned back in his chair and for a second I thought it was going to tip over. "Remember at the end of Wolverine when Deadpool's mouth was sewn closed so he couldn't talk?"

I smiled at him. "That might be a little drastic for Lester. I'm sure we can come up with something to encourage him to keep his mouth shut."

"Nothing has worked so far. I got a call from Les Sebring last week. He has an undercover job assigned to Jeanne Ellen but she needs a partner who possesses certain…_skills_. She's insisting it be you."

"I am _not_ working with Jeanne Ellen."

Tank worked a muscle in his jaw and then bent his head back over the paperwork on his desk. "It will net Rangeman almost two million," he said quietly.

"Fuck."

He didn't look up but I could see him smiling. I'd worked with Jeanne Ellen one other time. It was a job where we had to appear to be intimate and after it was done she decided she wanted didn't want it to just be a charade and spent several weeks trying to get into my bed. It was a fucking nightmare.

"I'll meet with Les, but that's all I am agreeing to right now."

"I'll set it up," Tank said with a smirk that reminded me too much of Lester. Assholes.

We spent the next two hours going over everything that had gone on while I was away and just as I signed off on overtime for additional men at a jewelry store that had been broken into, my phone rang. I pulled it off its clip and answered without checking caller ID. My heart dropped into my stomach when I heard Happy's urgent tone.

"Meet me at the hospital."


	7. Chapter 7

**_AN: Thank you so much for all the notes and comments, it's keeping the muse happy. Oh and sorry for the cliff hanger last chapter. That was mean._**

**_As always, all rights to familiar characters belong to JE - the mistakes are mine, and so is Happy. ;)_**

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Tank drove because he said he was afraid I would get arrested for trying to break the land speed record and when we pulled up to the hospital I saw Happy carrying Steph in through the emergency room doors.

I was out of the car and hustling inside before Tank brought it fully to a stop.

Happy's arms were empty when I reached him and I immediately started grilling.

"Where is she? What happened?"

"Not sure," he replied. "She said she felt nauseated, vomited, and then collapsed holding her stomach. I brought her directly here."

Fuck. I knew something was wrong when I saw her this morning. "How long has she been sick, Hap?"

He shoved his hands in his pockets and his eyes darted to the doors where Tank was making his entrance. "A few days. I tried to get her to see a doctor or at least Bobby, but…"

"She's stubborn as shit."

"Yeah," he agreed and nodded a greeting to Tank who sidled up beside us.

"I called Bobby," he said. "Know anything yet?"

"No." I cut my eyes to the woman behind the counter who was on the phone. "But I'm about to get some information."

Tank laid a colossal hand on my arm. "I'll go. Don't want you frightening the poor girl."

"Why does he think _he_ won't scare her?" I asked Happy rhetorically and he lifted a shoulder in response. We watched Tank talking – no, make that _flirting _with the curly haired blonde who had the information I desperately wanted and Happy gave me a raised eyebrow when she smiled and then giggled at something he said.

I gave it another minute and was about to go up there when Tank spun around and headed back to us holding a clipboard with paperwork attached. "She doesn't know anything except that Steph was admitted, but Cleona is here and I got her to agree to page her." He handed me the clipboard. "Fill this out while we wait."

I gave him a look that let him know I didn't appreciate being ordered to do something but I took the paperwork and began the bullshit process. Stephanie didn't know, but I've had her listed as an employee of my company for the past four months so she would have medical insurance. She's been getting a base salary she also doesn't know about so Rangeman can keep in line with the IRS. I was eventually going have to tell her - before she filed her own taxes - but I didn't want it to be because of something like this. I looked up from my task to find Tank watching me. He was the only other person that knew Steph was an employee. He'd been telling me for months that I needed to let her know what I'd done and the expression on his face right then had a definite, _'I told you so'_ quality about it.

I ignored him and went back to filling in Stephanie's pertinent information. When I was almost through, Cleona materialized in the room and sat in the empty chair beside me.

"So, there is good and bad," she said.

"Bad first," Tank jumped in, voicing my thoughts as he and Happy crouched down in front of us.

Cleona focused her emerald eyes on me after a brief glance to the two massive figures squatting at her knees. "She has a gall stone about the size of a golf ball blocking the duct in her gall bladder. The organ is severely infected and they're prepping her for surgery right now to remove it before it ruptures."

I was almost afraid to ask but managed to get the words out. "And the good?"

She flashed me her perfect white teeth. "It's a fairly routine procedure so she'll be fine. It will be about an hour, maybe two and you'll probably be able to take her home today."

"That _is_ good news. Thank you." I briefly squeezed her hand and she smiled again.

"I'll come get you as soon as it's done." Tank and Happy stood up to let her by and we all watched her disappear into the interior of the hospital.

"Bobby is a lucky guy," Tank said almost wistfully.

"I agree," a voice said and we turned to greet the man himself. "What's the deal?"

We filled him in and he confirmed it was a routine surgery and she would be fine. I of course wouldn't rest easy until I saw her, being fine, myself. I leaned back in the plastic chair and handed Tank the completed paperwork. I would try not to worry, but that was nearly impossible where Stephanie was concerned.

Word must have trickled out because as we waited half of my staff started appearing and I began to wonder if they left anyone on the monitors.

Cleona came out once to give a brief update and after she left I listened to them talk about her with Bobby.

"Seriously man - that is one fuckable piece of ass. Those legs – _Jesus,_ I get a chubby just thinking about what she could do with those crazy _long_ legs."

I shook my head, seeing Bobby's fist before he even had a clue it was coming. The man had severe diarrhea of the mouth. He was holding his throat and to Bobby's credit, he did make sure Lester was still breathing after he punched him there.

"Not to be crude, but Lester is right." Ram this time. I was starting to be grateful we were in a hospital.

"She doesn't happen to have a sister, does she?" Woody wanted to know.

"As a matter of fact, she does. Identical twin." I watched the corners of Bobby's lips twitch slightly but didn't think anyone else noticed. I was pretty sure he was bullshitting them.

"_Really?"_ Vince asked and I nearly laughed at the hopeful look on all their faces.

"No," Bobby said and rolled his eyes. "But even if it were true, I would be sure to keep her away from every one of you assholes."

That made me smile. After an hour we were starting to get looks from the staff and from people coming in. A room full of men all dressed in black and armed to the teeth could be quite an intimidating presence so after promising to give Steph their well wishes I sent away everyone except Happy, Tank and Bobby.

Tank was once again dazzling the reception girl with his charm and Bobby had gone in search of his woman so Happy folded his frame into the seat beside me. "You okay?" He asked quietly, eyeing me peripherally.

"Yeah, I'm good." I wasn't, not really, but Happy already knew that.

"Steph is a fighter," he said and I agreed. "She reminds me of my sister," he added softly.

I turned then, to look at him fully. I knew that was the reason he agreed without question to partner with her on a daily basis. Happy's sister, Veronica, was why he was… the way he was. It also didn't hurt that Stephanie - with the right make-up and straight hair - could pass as Veronica's twin.

"Have you told her?" I asked and the dangerous glint in his eyes softened when they met mine.

"Yeah. I told her."

"All of it?"

He looked away and settled his hands on top of his knees. "Most."

That was huge. Happy didn't talk about his personal life with anyone. Ever.

"How long did Stephanie hug you?" That got me a genuine smile. It was brief but it was definitely a smile. Teeth and everything.

"I'm going to find some coffee," he said in response and I let him walk away. It's best not to push too hard with Happy.

He hadn't returned when Cleona finally arrived with Bobby in tow and Tank had gone outside to take a call so I was alone when she delivered the good news.

"Surgery is done and everything went well. She's still under but I assume you want to be there when she wakes up?"

"You assume correctly," I confirmed.

"I'll take you back, but…" she cut her eyes to Bobby.

"Congrats," Bobby said picking up her dangling sentence. "Your wife is a real looker."

I thought I knew what was coming but I gave them a questioning lift of my brow.

"You have to be family to get back there for any extended period so I changed her forms to list you as her spouse," Cleona finished warily.

Well, that would be interesting. Hopefully I'd be able to get Steph out of here before she found that out and before any nurses from the Burg got wind of it and spread it like herpes through the neighborhood.

"It's fine," I assured her because she looked a little panicked.

Her shoulders relaxed slightly and Bobby kissed her on the cheek. "I gotta go, but I'll be over later," he told her and then turned to me. "Give Steph my best and I'll check on her when you bring her home."

We did the complicated hand shake that was typical of all of us when we didn't know what else to say and I caught a glimpse of Cleona's face as she watched Bobby walk out of the hospital. I'd seen the look on Stephanie's face more than once. Cleona was in love.

"Let's go see your wife," she said to me with a cheeky grin and I had to smile back. I didn't care if anyone thought she was my wife and I hoped Steph wouldn't care what the burg or anyone else thought anymore either, but old habits die hard.

"Don't worry," Cleona said as we made our way down the antiseptically white hallway, "she'll be too drugged up to care about the forms or anything else. She'll just be glad to see your face when she opens her eyes."

"I sure would be," a nurse muttered when we passed her in the hall and I saw the scan she did of my body out of the corner of my eye but didn't pay it any mind.

"That happens to you a lot, doesn't it?" Cleona queried as we rounded a corner.

I gave her a non-committal shrug. Truthfully, I'd quit caring about what other women thought the day I met Stephanie.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." She opened a door and I followed her into a small room where Stephanie was laid out on a bed. She was in a gown with little pads attached to her chest and a oxygen monitor on her finger. Her heart rate was beeping a steady rhythm on the screen next to her.

"She should be awake any minute so let me go over a few things with you first. There were 4 incisions." She lifted the gown to show me and pointed to the one that had a tube coming out of it. "That is the drain. This pouch here at the end will need to be emptied twice a day and measured. I'll give you some cups and gloves."

"She is gonna hate that. How long does the drain stay in?" Cleona dropped the gown and tucked the blanket up around her.

"Two – maybe three days tops. It will be hard for her to sit up, but you should try and get her up and walking around by tomorrow."

"The problem will be getting her to rest, not getting her up."

"Yeah, I understand. She's hates being stuck at home right?"

"You have no idea."

Cleona laughed. "I probably do. I'm the same way. Recovery time is actually pretty quick. I had this same procedure two years ago and I was mostly fully functional within a week and pretty much back to normal after two. She'll be in the most pain the first couple days so she'll need these pills." She held up a prescription and I took it and tucked it into my pocket.

"What's that beeping?" We heard a groggy voice say and turned as one to see Stephanie's eyes fluttering open. She lifted her hand and waived it in the air. "There's something on my hand."

Cleona and I shared a smile and she moved to the monitor to turn off the offending noise and remove the finger monitor and the chest pads.

"Hey Babe," I said taking her other hand in mine.

"Ranger!" She gave me a goofy grin. "I love waking up and seeing your face."

I kissed her on the lips. "How do you feel?"

She narrowed her eyes and then looked around the room before they widen in revelation. "Oh shit," she whispered and Cleona and I both said "What?" at the same time.

"Where's Happy? I have to apologize." Her bed was titled at a forty five degree angle and she tried to sit up fully but groaned as soon as the pain hit.

"Relax," Cleona said, pushing her gently back by the shoulder.

"Happy's out in the waiting room with Tank. What could you possibly have to apologize for?

"I threw up on his boots."

I tipped my head back and laughed out loud. "I'm sure he doesn't give a shit about his shoes, Babe. He'll just be glad you're alright."

My phone rang at that moment and it was Happy calling. "Speak of the devil," I said, showing Steph the caller ID window. "Is this okay?" I asked Cleona before answering.

"Yes, but keep it short."

I swiped the screen and said, "What's up?"

"She okay?"

"Yeah. She's says she's sorry about your boots." I looked down at Steph and she gave me two thumbs-up.

"Tell her to stop being stupid. I had Ella bring some of her sweats and a loose t-shirt. They'll be more comfortable than the clothes she was wearing earlier."

"That's great, thanks. I'll be out in a minute to get them."

Happy disconnected without responding and I tucked my phone into my pocket.

"What'd he say?" Steph wanted to know. "I feel funny," she added and closed her eyes.

"He said don't be an idiot and what kind of funny?"

"Like you're gonna hurl funny?" Cleona asked.

"No…just _weird_ funny."

"That's the anesthesia. You need to try and eat something," she surmised.

"Great. Do you have any doughnuts?"

Cleona gave me a raised eyebrow and I just shrugged and shook my head. She had an addiction.

"No, but I do have this delicious soda cracker. Open up." Cleona held the cracker in front of her mouth and she took a small bite.

"Okay?"

Steph nodded and Cleona fed her the rest of the cracker and let her have a sip of water to wash it down.

"When can I go home?" She asked a second later.

I grinned at Cleona. "Bobby owes me twenty. He said it'd be ten minutes before she asked that."

She looked at the clock on the wall. "Just over three."

"You guys need to stop betting about me, it's rude," Steph mumbled and pried open an eye.

"As long as you keep that cracker down we can have you out of here in twenty minutes."

"Happy brought you some comfy clothes, Babe. I'll go get them while Cleona's working on your discharge papers."

"Kay," she said. "Hurry."

I gave her a quick kiss and went to get her clothes. I handed the prescription to Happy and asked him to get it filled and then I took the sweats and t-shirt back to the room. The shirt was one of mine and it made me smile. Steph would love that.

Cleona was true to her word and I was wheeling her out twenty minutes later. Happy and Tank were waiting and she got a kiss from both of them before I settled her into the front seat of Tank's Navigator and buckled her in. He gave me his keys and caught a ride back with Happy.

She slept most of the way back to the building and only woke up when I lifted her out of the car. "Ranger, I can walk," she protested automatically even as her arms wrapped around my neck.

"I know, Babe. But I really want to carry you."

"Mmm," was her only response as she pressed her face into my neck. I carried her to the elevator and pushed the button.

When I got her inside our apartment I took her right to the bedroom, pulled back the covers and laid her gently on the sheets. Her bottle of pain pills and all the after-care instructions were already on the nightstand and I was grateful for the efficiency of my men. And Ella. There were two bottles of water and a package of crackers there as well and I knew that was Ella's doing.

I pulled the covers up around her and Steph briefly opened her eyes. "Don't go anywhere," she said.

"I won't," I assured her, kicked off my boots and crawled in beside her. She fell asleep and surprising myself, I slept with her. It was two hours before I awoke to the sound of her shifting beneath the covers beside me.

"You okay, Babe?"

"Gotta pee." She tried to sit up like she normally would and cried out in pain. "Shit, that hurts."

I was up, lifting her out of bed and carrying her to the bathroom before she could protest. She did her business and let me carry her back to the bed.

"Well that was humiliating," she muttered as I settled in beside her. "You probably loved it. You like carrying me around."

"I like any time I can get my hands on you, Steph. And there is no reason to be humiliated. You just had an organ removed from your body, give yourself a break."

She snorted out a little laugh. "When do I get to take one of those pills?" She cut her eyes to the bottle beside the bed.

I glanced at the clock. "Couple hours. All the anesthesia needs to be out of your system first. Is it bad?"

"I've felt better but as long as you're here I can handle it."

"I'm not going anywhere, Babe."

A small smile touched her lips and she closed her eyes again. She dozed but it was restless and I tried to soothe her as best as I could until I could dole out the medication. When it was time, I got her to eat a couple of crackers and she washed them and the pill down with a pull on a bottle of water. It didn't take long before her breathing evened out and she was sleeping relatively peacefully. I stayed in bed with her for an hour before I migrated to my office to finish up some things I'd abandoned earlier, but would soon find out they would have to continue to wait.

The land line on my desk rang as I sat down in my office chair and I saw it was the lobby. I don't think anyone from the front desk has ever called me directly but as I glanced at the schedule I saw Ace was on that rotation. He was relatively new. "What can I do for you, Ace?" I asked after snatching the receiver out of the cradle.

"Oh….umm, sorry to bother you sir, but there is a detective Morelli here demanding to see Ms. Plum…I…"

I turned on my monitor and pulled up the camera feed from the lobby. Sure enough, Joe was leaning on the counter, both palms flat on the surface trying to be as intimidating as he could manage.

"It's okay, Ace. Put him in holding cell four and let him sweat there for a while." I almost laughed when the line went completely silent. I glanced at the monitor and Ace's eyes were the size of saucers.

"It was a joke. Relax. Set him up in conference room two and I'll be there shortly."

Ace released a slow breath of relief before responding, "Yes sir, right away."

I killed the line and called Bobby's apartment.

"Yo."

"Can you come up and sit with Steph for a while?" I asked without preamble.

"You're leaving?"

"Not exactly. The illustrious detective Morelli is here and requesting an audience."

"Asshole," Bobby declared.

"No argument from me. I'll get rid of him quickly but I don't want to leave her alone."

"I'll be up in two." He disconnected and I went back to the bedroom. Stephanie was still asleep and would probably stay that way but I wanted someone here. I brushed her hair from her face and pressed my lips to her forehead. She didn't move a muscle so I left to let Bobby in.

"She sleeping?" He wanted to know when I swung open the door and he stepped inside.

"Yeah. I gave her a pain pill about an hour ago and she passed out within a few minutes." He followed me to the bedroom and I turned the lights on dim so he could see to move around. He placed his hand gently on her forehead.

"No fever, that's good. They told you to keep an eye on that, right?"

"Yes, I have the list."

"Good," he said and moved across the room. "She'll probably sleep for a few more hours. It's gonna hurt like a bitch when she wakes up." He settled into the chair in the corner and flashed me a grin.

"That's what Cleona said."

"She's not one to sugar coat things. Morelli going to be a problem?"

"Nothing I can't handle."

Bobby nodded and I gave him a salute before stepping out. "Don't kill him," he called and I shook my head. I was pretty sure it wouldn't come to that, but you never knew with Joe.

I picked up my gun on the way out and slipped it into the small of my back on the outside of my shirt. Didn't want Morelli to accuse me of trying to hide anything.

Tank was standing outside the door of the conference room when I arrived on the second floor.

"He's pacing like a caged animal in there. It doesn't help that Ace locked the door." I glanced at the frame and the deadbolt was indeed engaged. I gave Tank a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know," he said. "The kid is new. He panicked."

I rolled my eyes and reached into my pocket for my keys. Tank stopped me with a hand on my wrist before I got the lock opened. "Do you need me in there with you?"

I shook my head. "No. I think Joe and I need to have a one on one heart to heart. But…send Happy in with some bullshit paperwork in a few minutes. He scares the shit out of Morelli." It was juvenile, but I couldn't help myself.

A wide smile spread across Tank's face. "Happy scares the shit out of most people."

I unlocked the door and slipped inside the conference room. Joe was pacing in front of the window and spun around at the sound. "What the fuck, Manoso? You can't lock me up in here like a criminal. I could have you arrested for this."

I made a point of showing him my back when I shut the door so he could see my weapon. I didn't respond to his outburst and only gestured to a chair around the long table as I took a seat at its head.

"I don't want to sit. I want to see Steph."

I settled my elbows on the table and steepled my fingers under my chin, waiting.

"_Jesus Christ,_" he finally muttered after we spent a few seconds staring each other down. He yanked out a chair close to me and dropped into it. "Will you at least tell me if she's okay?"

I leaned back in my tall chair and crossed my arms over my chest. "Where was all this concern for Stephanie when you were sticking your dick into anything that walked by you in a short skirt?"

Anger flashed hot behind his eyes and his hands curled into fists on top of the shiny gloss of the wood table, but he did not take the bait.

"Is she okay?"

"She's resting comfortably in our bed, but not up for receiving visitors."

As I'd intended, he bristled at the 'our bed' part and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. I wasn't sure what he thought he would accomplish by coming here but I was willing to let this play out – for a short time. If it went on too long I would remove him – physically, if necessary.

He opened his mouth to respond and Happy took that perfect moment to enter the room with a folder. I saw the fear in Joe's eyes for a split second before he locked it away behind his cop face.

Happy focused his most frightening gaze on Morelli and handed me the folder without a word and without looking away from Joe.

I glanced down as I opened it and saw it was filled with blank paper except for the first page which contained a note written in Happy's familiar, slanted script.

"_I want to know what it feels like to put my foot up his ass."_

I wanted to laugh, but thought that might send the wrong message to our guest. I cut my eyes to Happy's face and he handed me a pen, once again not looking away from Joe. I took it, responded to his note and scrawled my signature like it was an important document.

After I closed the folder, Happy took it from me, gave a curt nod and left the room. I would take bets the entire staff was gathered around a monitor, watching…and hoping for a fight.

"Was that little show supposed to intimidate me?" I knew it did - and he knew I knew.

"You're not going to see Steph so is there anything else I can help you with this evening?"

He ran a hand through his unruly hair in frustration. "When did you get married?" He asked after darting his eyes around the room.

Ah. And now we get to it. Since Stephanie's mother left a message earlier asking that same question, I should have known he would have heard the rumor.

I guess I could have told him that we're not actually married but I didn't want to give him any thread of hope he still had a chance, however miniscule it might be. "Her business stopped being any of your concern a long time ago, Joe. Look – I get it, I really do. I nearly let her end up with you and I would have spent the rest of my life regretting it, but this isn't doing any of us any good. It's time to let her go and move on or you're going to piss her off and she'll cut you out of her life completely. I know you don't want that and neither does she."

I, on the other hand, wouldn't have a single complaint about that.

I was expecting an ugly retort so when he slumped down in his chair in defeat, I was very surprised. "I fucked up," he nearly whispered and I was surprised again. I don't think I've ever seen this side of Morelli. I could be a dick here, but taking the high road was probably the better option.

"Yeah. But we all fuck up sometimes, it's human nature. The trick is not to do it again." I pushed back from the table and rose out of my chair. As a peace offering I stuck out my hand and Morelli stared at it for a good twenty seconds before he reluctantly conceded and shook it briefly.

"Tank will show you out," I said and then I left him, still slouched in the chair.

I knew it wasn't the end, but it felt like he was a least willing to except reality and the fallout from that doomed relationship might actually be on the upswing. I didn't care if he disappeared from the face of the earth but I knew if she could, Steph would always want to remain friends with him and making Stephanie happy was my number one priority.


End file.
